Mansfield OH: Foundations for Living runaways found and returned

HuffPost Business reporter Chris Kirkham exposes the corruption at juvenile for-profit prisons, boot camps and detention centers. From condoning abuse of inmates to neglect to corruption we'll hear firsthand stories from those on the inside.

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The news has put yet another focus on juvenile rehabilitation centers with this one pertaining to a riot, just this past Sunday, and the five runaways who were found and returned Monday.

It all happened at Mansfield’s outpatient and residential center the Foundation for Living treatment facility.

A police report stated two females had “approached a staff member, kicked him in the groin, then took his keys” and a video later showed them going to a side door and helping three boys escape.

With escape came a riot where a few staff members were assaulted while trying to regain control of the facility and other staff, afraid for their safety, had locked themselves behind closed doors.

Richland County Sheriff’s Office deputies and Ohio Highway Patrol troopers assisted Mansfield police in responding to the riot with an end resulting in the arrest of a 16-year-old girl (who was then transported to the detention center) and a summons for disorderly conduct for three other juveniles.

No accusations are being made towards Foundation for Living but this news is just coming behind Ohio Department of Youth Service’s director Harvey J. Reed meeting with a review panel on prison rape last week.

He said he was shocked, that “his department was stunned”, when a federal report released in June 2013 found that three of Ohio’s four juvenile-detention facilities had sexual-assault rates of 19 percent or above.

The 2003 Prison Rape Elimination Act requires multi-day reviews with one day being adult facilities and juvenile facilities on the next.

The problem with that? What about those facilities that are private like Foundation for Living? Are they going to be looked over too?

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention has stated there are five types of residential programs for juveniles, which included detention, corrections, camp, community based, and residential treatment. The reason for such large placement options of juveniles is there isn’t a uniform definition of residential treatment programs. As a result, this creates a lack of uniformity across states and a large variety of names for secure detention and secure confinement centers for juveniles.

Private facilities are not staffed with law-enforcement nor operated by the government and therefor not held accountable to the public. They can operate as a profit-making business without fear of interference by outside entities or legislative bodies.

They are still, according to law, inspected annually so the government (the public) is still somewhat involved with private, for profit, juvenile facilities but with all the shock and being stunned happening in Ohio about state-run facilities, let’s just pray our youth isn’t going to keep being left behind whether they are state run or no.

*note: Foundation for Living hasn’t been found to do anything wrong and although there are no reviews that could be found and no one has responded for an interview, this article is NOT accusing them of any wrong doing. As a matter of fact, along with others who are there, they help victims of human trafficking.

For more info: for those who live Ohio and want more information, please contact the Ohio Attorney Generals Office at: 800-282-0515 or local: 614-466-4986. They are located at 30 E Broad St #14, Columbus, OH 43215 (Transit:E Broad St & N High St). For directions, please see Google Maps

Ohio Missing Persons Community Support:

Ohio Attorney General: ‘In this traumatic time do not cut yourself off from others who can support you such as family, friends and clergy. Talk to your doctor if increased stress is affecting your health.”

Team Hope: The mission of Team HOPE is to assist families with missing, exploited and recovered children by offering peer support including empowerment, emotional support and coping skills from a trained volunteer who has had or still has a missing or exploited child.

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Lori has been writing about the new sciences and findings regarding multiple sclerosis since 2008 and about a year regarding the plight of Ohio's animals. She has past experience of owning a business and building websites, has raised three children and has worked with animals physically along with using website knowledge to spread awareness for them. This combination has led to what will be the most important work for her to date: writing and sharing knowledge to help Ohio's missing and exploited and help make sure they are never forgotten.

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